Three Hawkeye members resign

Mark Moran / The Citizens' Voice
Hawkeye Surveillance System is putting the 150-camera network in Wilkes-Barre in place.

Three members stepped down Wednesday during a board meeting of Hawkeye Surveillance System, the nonprofit organization tasked with rolling out Wilkes-Barre's citywide surveillance camera system.

Chairman Jimmy Fisher along with members Laura Brace and Frank Hershberger submitted their resignations after the board voted to pare down the number of members from nine to seven.

Fisher, a police officer, also serves on the Wilkes-Barre Area School Board and said it was harder to find time to devote to putting the $2.1 million, 150-camera network in place.

"It's just become very difficult for me to find the time I deem necessary to serve on this project," he said.

Brace was not in attendance but sent her letter to fellow member Greg Barrouk, the city's community revitalization coordinator, whom the board promoted to fill Fisher's role.

With 75 cameras fully operational, board member attorney Alan F. Wohlsetter said enough progress had been made since cameras were first installed in December that the board decided to scale back its size.

The board also moved to send a letter to Kirk Merchel, a Wilkes-Barre police officer and a member of the Police Benevolent Association Board, asking him to take up a vacant seat.

"It's important that we have the opinion of a police officer on the board," Wohlsetter said. "They're the ones using it, and it only works if we have their input."

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